HARROW'S new borough commander has vowed to draw on his wide policing experience and extensive contacts to bring down the number of offences committed on his patch.

Speaking on his first day in post, Chief Superintendent Dal Babu, 46, said: "My main aim is to reduce the numbers of victims of crime.

"Residential burglaries will be one area we want to focus on and we're also looking at reducing violence – anything from a push to more serious matters.

"Engaging with the community is key. I'll be looking at going out and speaking with Safer Neighbourhood Teams and speaking to the local authority, community groups and different key individuals.

"I hope to bring to the borough an understanding of minority issues; I have worked very closely with all faith groups and have very close working links with the Hindu Police Association, the Sikh Police Association and Black Police Association."

In a police career that has lasted a quarter of a century, Chf Supt Babu has been a schools officer and later a team inspector, has managed firearms officers, has run projects with non-governmental organisations abroad, and was recently seconded to the Home Office to work on the Government's 'Safer Communities' initiative.

He said: "Having worked on a number of boroughs, and some very busy boroughs, I have an understanding of how to police this borough effectively.

"It's a case of looking at what works and there may be some opportunity to do things slightly differently.

"I'll be looking across the Met at what works well in different areas and if we should be doing things that way in Harrow.

"What we need to make sure is that Harrow doesn't miss out on opportunities in terms of crime reduction funding."

Chf Supt Babu gave as an example a six-month pilot mentoring project he ran in which young people aged between 14 and 17 were encouraged to meet members of the police, council and business community to better understand what they do.

Harrow's top cop was due to meet the Metropolitan Police Authority this week to discuss among other things the future of the mooted centralised super police station for Harrow.

Chf Supt Babu is supportive of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson, saying: "He is a very strong leader and I once described him as a 'gritty Northerner'. He always wants to know what's happening in his borough."